so be it

phrase

An indication of acceptance, especially of a situation which is not entirely favorable.

Similar
be it soit is what it isthat's lifec'est la vieit is as it isit is how it islife's a bitchshit happens
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Meanings

phrase
  1. idiomaticsubjunctiveAn indication of acceptance, especially of a situation which is not entirely favorable.

    Minister of State: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I beg to introduce a bill entitled an Act to amend the Interpretation Act. Clerk: Interpretation (Amendment) Bill. Speaker: Second reading what day? Minister of State: At the next available sitting. Speaker: So be it.

    3 more examples

    From storm to storm ! So be it, then. Born in throes, ’tis fit that man should live in pains and die in pangs! So be it, then! Here's stout stuff for woe to work on. So be it, then.

    1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Doubloon”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 480

    It doesn't matter which party it is. If the people choose one, a Democrat, then so be it.

    2009 February 22, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, via ABC

    The reason was that China's stability was at stake, according to Singapore's statesman Lee Kuan Yew. He once said: "He (Deng Xiaoping) took over and said, "If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it."

    2014 October 10, Diane M. Francis, “Why Does China Get To Renege on Its Promise of Democracy in Hong Kong?”, in HuffPost

    Synonyms: be it so, it is what it is, that's life, c'est la vie, it is as it is, it is how it is, it is what it is, life's a bitch

Synonyms & antonyms

phraseAn indication of acceptance, especially of a situation which is not entirely favorable.

Similar
be it soit is what it isthat's lifec'est la vieit is as it isit is how it isit is what it islife's a bitchshit happensso is lifeso it goessuch is lifethat's lifethat's that and this is thisthat's the way it goesthat’s the way it playsthat's the way life isthat's the way the ball bouncesthat's the way the cookie crumbles
Also see
be it soc'est la vieit is what it islife's a bitchshit happensso it goessuch is lifethat's lifethem's the breaks

Origin

Attested since late Old English.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 就這樣吧 /就这样吧, 欽此 /钦此
  • 就這樣吧 /就这样吧 (jiù zhèyàng ba)indication of acceptance
  • 欽此 /钦此 (qīncǐ)indication of acceptance
Dutch het zij zo
  • het zij zoindication of acceptance
Esperanto estu ĝi
  • estu ĝiindication of acceptance
Estonian olgu nii
  • olgu niiindication of acceptance
Finnish olkoon menneeksi, olkoon niin
  • olkoon menneeksiindication of acceptance
  • olkoon niinindication of acceptance
French soit, ainsi soit-il
  • soitindication of acceptance
  • ainsi soit-ilindication of acceptance
  • qu'il en soit ainsiindication of acceptance
German so sei es, sei's drum
  • so sei esindication of acceptance
  • sei's drumindication of acceptance
Greek ας είναι
  • ας είναι (as eínai)indication of acceptance
Hebrew אמן, ניחא
  • אמן (amén)indication of acceptance
  • ניחא (nicha)indication of acceptance
  • מילא (méyle)indication of acceptance
Hindi तथास्तु
  • तथास्तु (tathāstu)indication of acceptance
Hungarian ám legyen
  • ám legyenindication of acceptance
Italian transeat, sia pure
  • transeatindication of acceptance
  • sia pureindication of acceptance
  • così siaindication of acceptance
Latin transeat
  • transeatindication of acceptance
Norwegian Bokmål la gå, da så
  • la gåindication of acceptance
  • da såindication of acceptance
  • det får så væreindication of acceptance
Polish niech będzie
  • niech będzieindication of acceptance
Portuguese que seja, assim seja
  • que sejaindication of acceptance
  • assim sejaindication of acceptance
Russian так и бы́ть, быть по сему́
  • так и бы́ть (tak i býtʹ)indication of acceptance
  • быть по сему́ (bytʹ po semú)indication of acceptance
Spanish así sea
  • así seaindication of acceptance
Swedish då så
  • då såindication of acceptance
Tamil ஆகட்டும்
  • ஆகட்டும் (ākaṭṭum)indication of acceptance
Thai ทำไปเลยถ้าอยากทำ
  • ทำไปเลยถ้าอยากทำ (tham pai loei tha yak tham)indication of acceptance
Turkish öyle olsun
  • öyle olsunindication of acceptance
Ukrainian хай так
  • хай так (xaj tak)indication of acceptance
Cite this entry
APA

so be it. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20be%20it

MLA

“so be it.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20be%20it. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “so be it,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20be%20it.

Source: so be it on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.